


I Want To Know What Love Is

by Impala_Chick



Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game)
Genre: Everyone notices Tony's crush except Steve, Fights, Fluff and Crack, Getting Together, Jealous Steve Rogers, M/M, POV Alternating, Principal Nick Fury, Sexual Tension, Team as Family, Tony's blacksmith outfit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-11-01 00:16:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10910388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick
Summary: Avengers Academy gets seriously damaged, and Nick Fury is absolutely certain of one thing - someone is going to have to be punished. Being a good spy, he attempts to figure out just what happened first before doling out punishment. It turns out, Steve and Tony have some issues to work out.Knowledge of Avengers Academy not required to read this (but a couple of the jokes might not make sense).





	I Want To Know What Love Is

**Author's Note:**

> For the RBB 2017, based on Selofain's amazing art! Check out the art post here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10906563

Steve saw movement out of the corner of his eye, but couldn’t turn to see what it was. His eyes were locked on Tony’s, and Tony’s fists were coming straight at his face. Again. Steve ducked.

“STOP!”

Fury’s voice boomed out, silencing the chattering crowd that had gathered around Tony and Steve. Steve eyed Tony warily, but they both stopped and stepped back from each other.

Tony’s cheeks were bright red and his hair was tousled wildly, as if he had just dismounted a motorcycle. His chest was heaving because of his heavy breathing and the beginnings of a purple shiner were blooming on Tony’s right cheek. Janet rushed over to pat Tony’s shoulder, staring accusingly at Steve as if he had grown a second head. Rhodey stepped up to Tony’s other side, and gave Steve a death glare.

Steve figured he deserved it, though he couldn’t remember who started the fight.

“Here’s the deal, boys. You’ve disgraced yourselves, your classmates, our guests, the ENTIRE Academy. Especially you, Steve. You are the class president and you are expected to act as an example for all students. For both of you, there must be punishment. But since The Academy’s leadership believes in fairness, I can present you with a choice.”

Steve sighed, but resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Steve may be class president, but everyone respected the hell out of Tony. They _both_ hadn’t lived up to their leadership potential, really. Reduced to a purely physical altercation in the quad over something so stupid that Steve couldn’t even remember what it had been about. This was so not the type of physical altercation Steve may or may not have been dreaming about engaging in with Tony. 

Pepper stood solemnly next to Fury, jotting down notes on a clipboard. Steve glanced around at the others who had gathered, and all eyes were on Tony. Tony hadn’t been wearing his suit, which is why everyone probably thought Steve was a monster for throwing a punch at him. 

Steve felt his own cheek, still tender from where Tony had hit Steve. He wondered if a bruise would form. An unusual occurrence, but Steve did bruise occasionally. If he was hit hard enough.

“I’m dying to know what our choices are,” Tony said. At least his sarcasm was still intact. Steve looked over at Tony then, to give him a warning glance, but Tony was avoiding eye contact. Tony’s hair was still all messed up, but he looked calmer. He stood up, shrugging off Janet’s hand.

“Stark, a bit of humility would serve you well right now,” Pepper said with a smirk. Fury crossed his arms, and nodded at Tony.

“Alright, the choices. First option: Suspension.” 

The crowd gasped.

“Suspension for five days. No classes, no Club A time, no library time, NO lab time. You would have to stay in the Maverick dorm.”

Steve looked over at Tony, who looked like he had been physically wounded. He was staggering a bit, and his mouth kept opening and closing like a fish. There was no way Steve was going to let Tony get banned from his own lab. The man could not last five days. He barely lasted five hours without his tools.

“Or, you can hold hands for one hour.”

“What?” Steve wasn’t sure he heard correctly.

“What?” Tony obviously couldn’t believe it either.

Kamala let out a particularly ear-piercing shriek and clapped her hands. That’s when Steve realized he had indeed heard correctly. Steve almost smiled. Almost. 

“Hold hands in Avengers square for one hour. In front of everybody.”

“Uh, Fury, are you sure that’s an allowable-” Steve tried for diplomacy. Surely the man would see reason.

“Rogers, you two have some things to work out and maybe gaining a little humility in front of all your friends will allow you both to come together in a more healthy way.”

“Fine.” Even as Steve said it, his heart rate started to pick up and his palms started to get sweaty. It was easier for Steve to fight Tony than to hold hands with him. And in front of everybody? People were going to see right through him. _Tony_ was going to see right through him. 

Steve stole a glance at Tony, who was staring at him, surprised. Steve shrugged. There was really only one option here. Fury had played them.

“Okay. I agree to option 2.” Tony still looked slightly shocked.

“Brilliant. Can someone get some chairs and-”

“Here’s two right here, sir.” Bucky produced two chairs, seemingly out of nowhere, and put them down right in front of Steve. 

“Thanks a lot, man,” Steve said, deadpan. Bucky just grinned and winked.

“The timer starts as soon as you start holding hands.”

\--------

**ONE HOUR EARLIER**

Janet is absolutely the best at telling stories, so it’s no wonder Fury asked her to explain what happened. And she loved Tony and Steve like family, she really did. But they had done this to themselves. They had gotten into trouble and now they could pay some consequences. Some absolutely diabolical consequences. Besides, they were Fury’s golden boys. There was no WAY he’d make the punishment completely unfair. Even if half the school was crumbling.

Fury sat on a bench in Avengers park, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. He gestured at Janet to go on with her story.

“Okay, so THEN. Steve, still in full gladiator gear, designed by yours truly, charged the spider even though Elsa totally had it under control. He punched it in the head, and it went sprawling.Tony was still in his suit at this point, and he was flying overhead, trying to figure out what we should do. I was trying to protect Moon Girl’s body, since she was going to have to re-enter it at some point. In retrospect, I really should have built Moon Girl some kind of kick ass armored outfit, since this all got out of hand so quickly-”

“Please, stay focused, Janet. I want to know why there’s a chunk missing from Stark Tower and the Monster Arena, and why the roof of the library is laying upside down in the quad.” 

“Right, right. So Moon Girl wanted to mind meld with Devil Dinosaur and Tony helped her and then the mind meld seemed to overwhelm Moon Girl for a good twenty minutes and she couldn’t control Devil Dinosaur’s body.”

Janet stood up while she was telling this particular part, so she could mime Moon Girl inside Devil Dinosaur’s body. Janet bent her arms at the elbows, to symbolize T-Rex arms, and swung her body around wildly while making screeching noises. 

She glanced at Fury, who quickly hid his smirk. His one eye was twinkling, but his mouth was set in a serious straight line. 

“Clearly someone needs to be punished.”

“Right, but you have to understand that Tony didn’t actually mean to cause all the damage. Like, he wasn’t sure that the mind meld would even work.”

“But he was aware of the risk,” Fury pointed out.

“Sure, but I mean. Steve was training in the monster arena with Elsa. There’s no way Tony would have let Devil Dinosaur loose if he thought Steve might get hurt.”

Fury quirked his eyebrow, clearly curious. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Just, it wasn’t Tony’s fault.” Janet attempted to backtrack. 

“So, it’s Moon Girl’s fault?” 

“No. I mean, Steve gave her this big pep talk about believing in yourself before that and-”

“So it’s Steve’s fault?”

“Fury, are you even listening to me?” Janet rolled her eyes in exasperation. 

“I’m seriously trying, Janet.”

\--------

Natasha sat at her stool next to Fury in Club A with her arms crossed. She wasn’t going to tell Fury anything unless he was going to share intel with her. 

“I tried talking to Janet, Natasha. I need to know what Tony and Steve did to the Academy.” Fury tried to stare her down with his intense unblinking gaze, but Natasha was used to that look.

“And I need to know what’s in the time fog.”

“Okay, how about this. I let you look around the basement of Shield HQ in exchange for some information.”

Natasha considered the offer for a moment. She had already snuck into the basement of Shield HQ once, though Fury probably didn’t know about that. She didn’t want to give away her secret entryway. Besides, it would sure be nice to look around with the lights on. 

“Fine. I’ll tell you what I know. Tony was going to conduct an experiment with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Devil Dinosaur was waiting outside the tower, and Tony and Moon Girl were inside. Tony helped Moon Girl set up her machine, and they flooded it with electricity. Funny thing, it worked.”

Fury pressed his lips together in a thin line, completely unsurprised and unimpressed. 

“Moon girl’s body, occupied by Devil Dinosaur, proceeded to freak out and run outside, screaming. Devil Dinosaur’s body, occupied by Moon Girl, ripped off the library roof and headed straight for the Monster arena. I saw that happen, but there wasn’t much I was going to be able to do against a dinosaur.”

Fury gestured for her to continue, and Natasha sighed. 

“This is where the story gets weird. So Tony dons his armor suit, and flies to the monster arena. Steve and Elsa are caught by surprise. The giant spiders scurry away, loose. Steve yells for Elsa to take cover, and he squares his shoulders, ready to take on the Dinosaur. Tony gets in between them before Steve can do anything, and blasts Devil Dinosaur right in the chest. He yells at Steve to fix Moon Girl, and Steve grabs Moon Girl and hauls ass back to the tower. But let me tell you, Steve looked pissed.”

“Why was that weird?” Fury stood up from his stool and stroked his chin.

“You mean aside from the whole Dinosaur possessed by a girl thing? Steve was furious, but he knew how to put Moon Girl back in her body. I’m thinking Steve and Tony had talked about it, and Steve had already told him not to do it.”

“Ah, I see,” Fury mused. “Would Tony do that? Defy Steve?”

Natasha snorted. “Have you met Tony? He lives to defy Steve.”

“Because Steve is class president?” Fury started to pace, and Natasha cracked a smile. Fury’s obliviousness to the situation nearly made her laugh.

“Fury, nothing gets past you.”

\--------

Fury cornered Kamala outside the dorms. His one eye glared at her menacingly. He still slightly creeped her out. 

From where she was standing, Kamala could see the roof of the library lying upside down, and the sight saddened her. It looked like Bucky, Rhodey and Sam were trying to figure out how to put it back on top of the library, where it belonged.

“This didn’t have to happen, Kamala.” 

She knew he was just trying to get to her. But Kamala was going to protect Steve and Tony at all costs. 

“Well, this academy is full of people with superpowers so. Kinda inevitable, don’t you think Sir?”

Fury sighed.

“True. But it seems that there was some kind of conflict between Steve and Tony?”

Fury was going straight for her weakness! He was good. Kamala was going to have to try deflection or something. No way was she going to blurt out that Steve and Tony had the most epic “conflict” on campus. If by “conflict” you mean sexual tension. 

“Uh, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Kamala attempted to walk away, but Fury blocked her path. He crossed his arms, looking even more serious.

“Kamala, I can’t help them if I don’t know what’s going on.”

“I don’t know if you can help them anyway, sir.”

“And why is that?” 

“They are going to have to sort this out themselves.”

“You don’t think we can help?” Fury started pacing, his black jacket flapping in the breeze. He was seriously flummoxed, and Kamala felt bad for him. She really did.

“Of course we can, but it’s not like Steve believes me when I tell him that Tony totally checks him out during Dr. Pym’s class -” Kamala sucked in a breath. She had said too much.

“Uh, wait what?” Fury stopped pacing to stare at her, his jaw almost on the floor.

“Shit. I was so not going to tell you that.” Kamala ran her fingers through her hair.

“So, they’re… dating?” Fury was smiling now, as realization dawned on his face.

“What, no! That’s the problem!” Kamala clapped her hand over her mouth. She was really in trouble now. Steve was going to absolutely _murder_ her.

“I do appreciate your time, Kamala. You have been thoroughly enlightening.” Fury was back into creepy mode.  
Fury started to walk away, his hands in his pockets.

“Wait, what are you going to do?” Kamala asked, trailing after him.

“Gather more intel to decide what punishment would be - ” Fury was cut off as a loud commotion started somewhere in the quad.

Fury shot a glance at Kamala. This could not be good. They both took off for the quad, where a few people had gathered in a circle. And in the center?

Steve and Tony in their normal class clothes. Steve’s eyes were dark with anger, and Tony’s mouth was twisted up in a grimace.

They were throwing punches.

At each other.

It was an odd sight even by Academy standards.

\--------

**PRESENT**

Steve felt his palm start to get sweaty. He cringed and refused to look over at Tony. Tony’s fingers were curled around Steve’s, interlocked like they had known exactly how to fit together. It was almost intimate, except that they were both surrounded by their classmates. 

Fury had wandered off to do something “important”, probably checking to see if the timefog had unleashed any new surprises. He left Pepper in charge, and she presided over Steve and Tony’s punishment solemnly and purposefully. Pepper had a stopwatch out, and was clicking her pen against her keyboard. Every so often she’d write something down, and the action downright unnerved Steve. 

Near her, Janet had her phone out and was gleefully snapping pictures. She giggled, and leaned over to show Sam whatever she had just captured on her phone. Steve shot them both a dirty look. Sam shrugged his shoulders when he noticed Steve’s face, but didn’t stop smiling. 

“Don’t worry Steve, I’m just trying to brighten up the Academy facebook page!” Janet teased.

“I hope you are prepared to accept accomplice liability, Sam,” Steve warned. Steve felt his hand move a little bit, and he glanced over to see Tony smiling. Steve smiled back. He hadn’t meant to be funny, but Tony was amused anyway.

Kamala was staring at the pair of them, looking almost starstruck. Her eyes were wide as saucers and she kept looking between Steve and Tony, like she was shocked. Steve felt like that was peculiar, given the fact that lately he’d been helping Kamala train and he felt that they knew each other pretty well. Surely Kamala considered him a friend at this point. Steve watched her look at his and Tony’s hands clasped together, and a light bulb went off in Steve’s head. 

_She must have a crush on Tony._

Steve couldn’t blame her. Tony was smart and funny and was basically the person that kept the school running. He was always fixing something or fighting some bad guy. And he had a hell of a smile. And nice… clothes. 

The more Steve thought about it, the more defensive he became. He felt his blood pressure rise and he looked away from Kamala before he thought too much about it. 

“Ow. You’re squeezing me,” Tony mumbled, shaking Steve’s hand. 

“Shit, sorry Tony,” Steve said as he purposefully started taking big, deep breaths. 

“What a dirty word, Cap,” Tony joked. Steve scowled but didn’t take the bait. Steve was sure Tony’s antagonism was what had got them into this mess in the first place.

Steve noticed Rhodey shake his head. He had his hand on his face, like he knew this whole situation was absolutely ridiculous. 

_No kidding, Rhodes._ Steve thought. 

“Aw, it’s okay Rhodey. I think me and Cap will survive,” Tony joked. Steve resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was so not going well.

Loki was clapping his hands gleefully. Steve idly wondered if Loki had planned this whole thing. This kind of torture would be right up Loki’s ally. 

Natasha and Clint were looking out over the quad, and Steve followed their gaze. Fury was returning, his coat billowing and his arms crossed. Steve wasn’t sure if this was a good sign or a bad sign, because Fury always looked pissed about something.

“Actions always have consequences,” Fury intoned, his hands clasped behind his back. Tony snorted, but Steve squeezed his hand in what he hoped was a very clear signal for him to _not_ make the sarcastic comments he was sure were about to leave Tony’s mouth. 

“Don’t do it,” Steve whispered to Tony. 

“Ugh, no fun.” Tony groaned, but kept his voice low. 

“I hope everyone here is learning something from this. Afterwards, we will all be helping clean up the school,” Fury announced, glaring at Tony. 

Bucky made his entrance at that point. He gripped his guitar and flicked his hair off his forehead. He shot Steve a devious grin, and Steve knew that he was up to no good. It was almost like when they were kids and Bucky would grin right before he decided to take his bike over a makeshift wooden ramp or egg the neighborhood bully’s house. 

“Don’t.” Steve shot him a death glare to try and stop him. 

Bucky started to strum his guitar, and the whole quad fell silent. Steve groaned. He didn’t recognize the song yet, but he knew this could not end well. 

“I’m sorry in advance,” Steve said to Tony. Tony made eye contact, his mouth already curved into a smile.

“Why are you sorry? This song is a classic!” Tony clearly knew the song. Tony’s smile momentarily distracted Steve, but then Bucky started to sing.

 _“I gotta take a little time. A little time to think things over,”_ Bucky crooned. People were whistling and cheering, and Steve avoided making eye contact with anyone. 

He was sure his face was turning red. If anyone could die from embarrassment, Steve figured now would be the perfect time.

 _“In my life, there’s been heartache and pain. I don’t know if I can face it again.”_ Bucky was dramatically whispering this part. 

“Steve, your BFF is actually pretty good,” Tony said as he squeezed Steve’s hand. Steve rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t encourage him!” Steve hissed. 

Tony was laughing his ass off by the time Bucky got to the chorus. At least amusement was better than anger.

 _“I want you to know what love is! I want you to show me! I wanna feel what love is. I know you can show me.”_ Bucky was really laying it on thick, and the crowd was eating it up. 

“I wish I could disappear right now,” Steve whispered, not sure if Tony could even hear him.

“C’mon Steve, it’s not that bad. Everyone can take a joke,” Tony whispered back, with a wink.

Good thing Steve was sitting, because he definitely got a little weak in the knees. He looked away quickly, but he saw Tony’s expression change ever so slightly. 

Shit. Maybe Tony had noticed.

Bucky started to gear up for another song, but luckily Pepper’s timer went off. 

“Saved by the bell!” Steve stood up triumphantly and dropped Tony’s hand. Tony still had that funny look on his face, like he was confused. 

Everyone started to clap.

“I can’t believe you guys made it!” Natasha clapped Steve on the shoulder. Sam and Bucky were tried to hide their laughter. Some friends Steve had. 

“Alright, everyone. Show is over. Time to clean this mess up!” Fury clapped his hands, Pepper tapped her pen on her clipboard, and people started to amble over to the library or the Monster Arena. 

Steve purposefully waited until Tony walked into Stark tower before he followed Sam and Bucky to the library.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe the crisis had been averted.

\--------

Class the next day was awkward, to say the least. But it was entirely Steve’s fault. 

He walked into Pym’s quantum physics class and took his normal seat in the front row. Usually, Tony walked in late and sat near the back. They’d generally say hi to each other after class, and maybe joke about Pym’s eccentricities as they walked out together. Their ritual was one of the highlights of Steve’s day. 

But today, Tony decided to come in early. And sit right next to him. 

“Morning, Cap,” Tony said cheerily as he got out his notebook. Like nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Uh. Funny seeing you this early,” Steve joked. 

“Well, I figured I better get in before class started so I could snag this seat.” Tony smiled smugly, the bastard. Steve couldn’t think of a witty retort. 

Clint and Natasha walked in together, noticed the seating arrangement, and giggled. Steve tried to melt into his seat. They sat right behind Tony and Steve, and Steve could feel Natasha’s eyes burning a hole in the back of his head the whole class.

Odin’s advanced battle strategies class went nearly the same way, with Tony sitting next to him for the first time ever while the rest of the class just stared.

Luckily, Steve didn’t have class with Tony for the rest of the day. He spent his entire free period locked up in the newly repaired library, hoping Tony wouldn’t come find him. 

This was no way to live. Steve was going to have to talk to him. 

Hell, Steve should just bite the bullet and ask him out. 

\--------

The next morning, Steve woke up feeling calm. He’d made his decision, and even though he felt a bad outcome was inevitable, he was glad he would at least have closure.

Today was the day he was going to ask Tony Stark on a date. 

Maybe dinner at the Shawarma Stand and drinks after at Club A? Tony definitely liked Club A, since he was there all the time.

Steve could also probably borrow the Quinjet and head off campus, but Steve didn’t dwell much on that idea, since Tony was probably going to say no. 

After grabbing a bouquet of flowers, Steve headed for Stark Tower. He pressed the intercom button outside Tony’s big sliding glass doors, but no one answered. After briefly debating with himself about whether waiting outside would come off as creepy or romantic, he heard Tony laugh. 

He peeked around the corner of Stark Tower, and could plainly see Tony and Maria Hill walking back from Shawarma. Together. 

Tony had his head back, still laughing about something she said. His smile made Steve’s heart hurt a little. He had heard rumors about Tony and Maria, but any thoughts about those rumors had completely fled Steve’s mind that morning.

Steve fled with the flowers and whatever was left of his dignity. 

\--------

In retrospect, Steve should have realized Tony would have surveillance set up outside his place, triggered when someone rang the intercom. 

He had been hitting the heavy bag for nearly an hour and sweat dripped from his brow. He still felt embarrassed and stupid, but now there was a healthy dose of exhaustion to go along with those emotions.

Maybe the day could turn around.

That’s when Tony decided to make his entrance.

“Cap! Listen, Jarvis showed me that you came by earlier and I wanted to come find you-”

“Don’t, Tony. It’s okay. I was just finishing up here.” Steve cut him off, suddenly feeling the urge to be absolutely anywhere except the gym. 

“No, honestly it’s not what you think-” Tony tried again, stepping closer to Steve. But Steve did not feel like being humiliated. He was so intent on throwing things into his gym bag that he barely heard what Tony was saying. 

Steve had been wrong, had totally misjudged the situation. He should have reminded himself earlier that they had held hands as _punishment_. It didn’t matter that Tony had smiled at him and laughed at his jokes. Steve stormed out the door before Tony could yell at him about being such an idiot. 

\--------

Steve didn’t see Tony until Quantum Physics class the next day. Tony walked in and sat in the back. Steve took that as a sign. 

\--------

Janet was supposed to be tutoring Tony in superhero costuming (it was an elective and Tony really needed more electives, okay?) but Tony was way too mopey to get any work done. Janet slammed her book down in exasperation. 

“Seriously, Tones? What is going on?”

Tony tried to brush her off with a wave of his hand, but Janet was not having it. 

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Cap is the one who is ridiculous!” Tony exclaimed, getting up from the table. 

“Just talk to him.”

“He storms out of every room I walk into. And gives me death glares in class.” Tony huffed and sat back down. 

Janet grinned. This seemed like a situation that was easily remedied. Tony just needed her help. 

“All you have to do is woo him,” Janet said, clapping her hands.

Tony looked at her with both eyebrows raised, highly skeptical. “What does that mean?”

“Like, nice notes. Or flowers. Oh, or an extra special outfit?” Janet picked up some fabric scraps and fanned them out like a pack of cards. There were so many possibilities here, seriously. Tony just needed to get it together. 

“You really think I can fix this?” Tony ran his hand through his hair, still worried.

“YES! Sheesh. Just trust me,” Janet said. Time to get to work. 

\--------

Natasha wiped the sweat off her brow and passed Steve a towel. They had just finished a round in the arena of war, but Steve as off his game. Still. 

If Steve wasn’t in tip-top condition, Natasha did not get a full work-out. And that was just not acceptable.

“Steve, you really need to do something about this,” Natasha said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steve tried to say.

“Cut the crap. Walk up to Tony and tell him what happened. He’ll understand, you’ll feel better, and I bet you might even get a date out of it.” Natasha got up to pack her gym bag.

“But, Maria-” 

“They’re not a thing. I know because I was at Club A last night eavesdropping, and Tony was very much alone and moping at the bar.” Natasha was very nearly exasperated at this point, but at least she had good intel to pass. 

“And you should lay off Kamala, she doesn’t like Tony. She’s rooting for you guys, you dummy.” 

“Oh,” Steve smiled slightly, “Thanks.”

“No problem, Cap. Now go out there and get your man.”

\--------

Steve felt his palms start to sweat. His chest tightened up, and he had to remind himself to take deep breathes. But he was the Class President of Avenger’s Academy; he wasn’t about to back down just because he was scared. 

He was halfway through the quad on his way to Stark Tower, when he could see Tony standing outside. 

Steve squinted, but in a few strides he could see Tony’s outfit. And it was shocking, to say the least. 

Tony had leather straps criss-crossing his chest, and Steve could see his well-developed pecks and abs. Tony’s whole outfit was made of leather, but Steve couldn’t really get past his muscles. Tony was usually so covered up. Steve had heard a rumor that Tony had taken up some new metal work hobbies, but this was seriously not what Steve had expected. Steve really had been missing out, if this was what happened in metal work class. Or superhero costuming class. Or really, whatever class had gifted Tony with such an awesome idea. 

“Steve? Are you there?” Tony was waving his hand in front of Steve’s face. 

“Uh, sorry. I was, uh. Distracted. Look, I-” 

“Steve, listen.” Tony started to say at the same time. Steve would have laughed, except this was a serious situation. 

“I shouldn’t have blown you off. That was stupid of me.” Steve rubbed the back of his head, but managed to look Tony in the eye. 

“And I should have just come out and told you what I was thinking. Sometimes I just talk too much and get myself into trouble.” Tony met Steve’s gaze, smiling.

“You should have told me what?” Steve stepped closer, just because Tony’s smile seemed so inviting. 

“I want us to try it. Dating. We’ve already got the hand-holding thing down so we might as well give the other stuff a shot.” 

Steve was momentarily surprised, but then he couldn’t help but pull Tony by his leather straps, so that they were chest to chest. 

“Excellent idea,” Steve asid. And then he kissed Tony, full on the mouth. Their faces fit together like they had done this before, and Steve loved the feel of Tony’s soft lips against his own. 

Then Steve heard clapping. 

He pulled back slightly to look around. Tony looked too, and both of them started laughing. All their friends were gathered around the quad, clapping and whistling for them. 

“You know, you didn’t have to wear that outfit,” Steve pointed out.

“Okay, but it didn’t hurt, did it? It’s fucking fabulous,” Tony shot back, his grin downright wicked. 

And then Bucky strode forward, his guitar in his hands.

“Oh, no,” Steve groaned.

“Eh, I think it’s fitting, considering when this all started,” Tony said, and he kissed Steve again. "Sidenote, does this mean we have to thank Fury?"

Steve smiled against Tony’s mouth as Bucky started singing “I Wanna Know What Love Is.” Again. 

Turns out, Steve and Tony might have known all along exactly what love should be.


End file.
